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Nick Thompson

City University of Santa Fe

James,

This is just the kind of story that give me the willies. When I think of
how much better our conversations about convection might have been if we
had had you at the table. Los Cruces gain was our loss.

The trick will be to use the sucess of the arts' schools as the core for
something bigger.

Nick

Nicholas S. Thompson
Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,
Clark University ([hidden email])
http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

> [Original Message]
> From: <[hidden email]>
> To: <[hidden email]>
> Date: 4/25/2009 12:15:44 PM
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Friam Digest, Vol 70, Issue 28
>
> Nick,
>
> Thanks for this report. In my opinion, the City of Santa Fe should do
> anything in their power to save this institution. There are no
> Universities in town as is. One of the reasons why I moved out of
> Santa Fe a few years ago to Las Cruces, after having lived there for
> nearly 8 years, was the fact that I just could not think of raising my
> young daughter in a city where there was no "university.'
>
> Regards,
>
> James Stalker
>
> Quoting [hidden email]:
>
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> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> > 1. Re: random vs pseudo-random (Robert Howard)
> > 2. City University of Santa Fe (Nicholas Thompson)
> > 3. Re: City University of Santa Fe (Merle Lefkoff)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:50:52 -0700
> > From: "Robert Howard" <[hidden email]>
> > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] random vs pseudo-random
> > To: "'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group'"
> > <[hidden email]>
> > Message-ID: <51B6AFC7BB264C819415F37865C2FFE7@Core2Duo>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> >> The really cool thing about this is that the total complexity of the
> >> Multiverse is really, really small, namely that of a fairly simple

equation
> >> called Shroedinger's equation like you suggest."
> >
> > That would make sense if for every bit created its complementary bits
were
> > also created somewhere else. If the multi-universe is a reversible
computer,

> > then the total sum of everything would be nothing, which is the motto of
> > your book. It sure is a lot simpler to explain nothing overall than
> > something specific. :-)
> >
> > Rob
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On

Behalf
> > Of russell standish
> > Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 11:34 PM
> > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] random vs pseudo-random
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 11:37:35AM -0700, Robert Howard wrote:
> >> I suppose Dennett is implying that the linear congruential generator
below
> >> would take at least the number of bits in variables a, b, m, and x[0].
If
> >> those are 1-byte integers, then the bit count is at least 32 bits.
There?s

> >> overhead for the actual code too. How do you measure that? Suppose the
> >> answer is 100 bits for the code including state. Then if you use it to
> >> generate a sequence of one gazillion values, that sequence would only
> >> contain the equivalent of 100 bits of information because it can be
> >> generated by a 100 bit algorithm.
> >>
> >
> > Yes.
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> I still suspect there might be circular logic here. Do we place no

value

> > on
> >> the energy needed to generate it?
> >>
> >
> > That's right. Information is a purely information theoretic
> > construct. Energy doesn't come into it.
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> What if our entire universe can be described in a very simple equation
> > that
> >> is just generated recursively or fractally by many iterations? If that
> >> equation was less than a megabyte, then would we argue that the entire
> > works
> >> of Shakespeare must have less information?
> >>
> >
> > No, because the universe did not produce Shakespeare by a
> > deterministic process. Every time a quantum measurement is taken of
> > something that might have one of two values, a bit of information is
> > generated. Information can be also be lost, a process known as quantum
> > erasure. This explains why the universe we see today is less complex
> > than it would naively seem if every particle generated a new bit of
> > information each Planck time.
> >
> > This is perhaps most easily seen in the Many Worlds Interpretation,
> > although it is not necessary for the MWI to be true for information to
> > increase in our universe. In the MWI, the Universe splits each time a
> > measurement is taken, so one ends up with some enormous number of
> > parallel universes. In most of those universes, Shakespeare never
> > existed, and so the works of Shakespeare never materialised. Only in
> > our special neck of the woods are there Shakespearian tragedies, and
> > many more things that even more complex (eg human brains).
> >
> > The really cool thing about this is that the total complexity of the
> > Multiverse is really, really small, namely that of a fairly simple
> > equation called Shroedinger's equation like you suggest.
> >
> > If you want to know more, please take a look at my book "Theory of
> > Nothing".
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > --
> >
> >

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile)
> > Mathematics
> > UNSW SYDNEY 2052 [hidden email]
> > Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au
> >
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> >
> > ============================================================
> > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:16:17 -0600
> > From: "Nicholas Thompson" <[hidden email]>
> > Subject: [FRIAM] City University of Santa Fe
> > To: [hidden email]
> > Cc: John Weckesser <[hidden email]>
> > Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > All,
> >
> > I again attended the meeting of the goverenor's task force to
> > suggest what to do about the impending demise of the college of
> > Santa Fe. The accoustics in the room were terrible and so my report
> > will be more brief. Also, there seemed to be an attentive reporter
> > from the New Mexican there, so I imagine there will be something
> > fairly informative in tomorrow's papers.
> >
> > Briefly, something seems to be taking shape for higher education in
> > Santa Fe. Economic analyses seem to suggest that the impact of
> > having (or losing) the college upon the city of Santa Fe is of the
> > order of HUNDREDS of millions of dollars. (sic!) In other words, the
> > City cannot afford not to save or replace the college. The
> > outlines are as follows:
> >
> > (1) City of Santa Fe takes ownership of most of the campus through a
> > bond issue. The rest is obtained by state or other enterprises
> > having to do with education.
> >
> > (2) Laureate College leases 3/4 of the campus and takes change of
> > the College of Santa Fe. On this scenario, the college is up and
> > going in the fall. Laureate is a for profit enterprise that boasts
> > 500,000 students world wide. It can sustain substantial losses for
> > a few years and is apparently willing to do so, but believes that
> > it can make a profit running an art school here, if it can lease
> > the property from the city at market rates.
> >
> > (3) Something else educational will happen with the rest of the
> > college and the rest of the land.
> >
> > I still think, even within this frame work, there is a place for a
> > framework that embraces all the educational and quasi educational
> > institution in the city as The City University of Santa Fe.
> > Laureate U. seems possibly a benign force under the present
> > circumstances, but we dont want them wagging the Santa Fe
> > Educational Dog. And I still think it is important to pull together
> > the people in Santa Fe who feel they benefit from having
> > institutuions of higher learning in the city.
> >
> > I just cant think how.
> >
> > There is another meeting of the task force from ten to noon THIS
> > wednesday, probably it's last meeting.
> >
> > Nick
> >
> >
> > Nicholas S. Thompson
> > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,
> > Clark University ([hidden email])
> > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
> > -------------- next part --------------
> > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> > URL:
> >

<http://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/attachments/20090424/2ed5c6b
4/attachment-0001.html>

> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 3
> > Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:17:16 -0600
> > From: Merle Lefkoff <[hidden email]>
> > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] City University of Santa Fe
> > To: [hidden email], The Friday Morning Applied Complexity
> > Coffee Group <[hidden email]>
> > Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> >
> > Nicholas Thompson wrote:
> >>
> >> All,
> >>
> >> I again attended the meeting of the goverenor's task force to suggest
> >> what to do about the impending demise of the college of Santa Fe. The
> >> accoustics in the room were terrible and so my report will be more
> >> brief. Also, there seemed to be an attentive reporter from the New
> >> Mexican there, so I imagine there will be something fairly informative
> >> in tomorrow's papers.
> >>
> >> Briefly, something seems to be taking shape for higher education in
> >> Santa Fe. Economic analyses seem to suggest that the impact of
> >> having (or losing) the college upon the city of Santa Fe is of the
> >> order of HUNDREDS of millions of dollars. (/sic!)/ In other words, the
> >> City cannot afford not to save or replace the college. The outlines
> >> are as follows:
> >>
> >> (1) City of Santa Fe takes ownership of most of the campus through a
> >> bond issue. The rest is obtained by state or other enterprises having
> >> to do with education.
> >>
> >> (2) Laureate College leases 3/4 of the campus and takes change of the
> >> College of Santa Fe. On this scenario, the college is up and going in
> >> the fall. Laureate is a for profit enterprise that boasts 500,000
> >> students world wide. It can sustain substantial losses for a few
> >> years and is apparently willing to do so, but believes that it can
> >> make a profit running an art school here, if it can lease the property
> >> from the city at market rates.
> >>
> >> (3) Something else educational will happen with the rest of the
> >> college and the rest of the land.
> >>
> >> I still think, even within this frame work, there is a place for a
> >> framework that embraces all the educational and quasi educational
> >> institution in the city as The City University of Santa Fe.
> >> Laureate U. seems possibly a benign force under the present
> >> circumstances, but we dont want them wagging the Santa Fe Educational
> >> Dog. And I still think it is important to pull together the people in
> >> Santa Fe who feel they benefit from having institutuions of higher
> >> learning in the city.
> >>
> >> I just cant think how.
> >>
> >> There is another meeting of the task force from ten to noon THIS
> >> wednesday, probably it's last meeting.
> > Nick,
> >
> > Why can't you think how? I thought you were an applied complexity
> > scientist. I can think of a lot of "hows." Maybe I'll go to the
> > meeting Wednesday before I leave town again.
> >
> > Merle
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Nick
> >>
> >>
> >> Nicholas S. Thompson
> >> Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,
> >> Clark University ([hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>)
> >> http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
> >> <http://home.earthlink.net/%7Enickthompson/naturaldesigns/>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

> >>
> >> ============================================================
> >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> >> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Friam mailing list
> > [hidden email]
> > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> >
> >
> > End of Friam Digest, Vol 70, Issue 28
> > *************************************
> >
>
>
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org